Camera dollies are used in the television and motion picture industries to support and maneuver a camera. Typically, the camera dolly is on wheels and has an arm to raise and lower the camera. The camera dolly is generally moved by dolly operators either by a manual hands-on steering or remotely controlled by operators in a production control room.
In the production of motion pictures, the motion picture camera must often be moved from one position to another. The camera movements may require a change in camera position, camera angle, or camera elevation. The camera movement must be performed smoothly, as even small amounts of vibration of the camera can result in unsatisfactory filming, due to shaky or erratic recorded images. Similar requirements must often be met in the case of TV studio productions, e.g. predefined camera movements along the studio floor.
Camera dollies and pedestals have long been used to support and move television studio cameras. The camera dolly must support and maneuver the camera with a minimum of vibration or shock, to avoid degrading the filmed image quality. Consequently, camera dollies are designed, manufactured and maintained with precision, and are often placed on rails or tracks on the studio floor to provide an even and smooth rolling surface.
Television studio cameras are connected to the production control room with signal cables, such as triax cables or fiber optic cables. Wireless transfer of signals is not feasible due to the large amounts of data that is transferred. The cameras are also connected to a power supply via power cables. In addition to the cameras, remote controlled camera dollies require power to drive the dolly as well as control signals from the production room to dolly to steer the dolly. These signal and power cables are usually lying on the floor of the studio and is often in the way when the camera dollies are moved. Other solutions, in particular for dollies on tracks, may involve complex cable management systems requiring tracks of their own.
Therefore, there is a need for a trolley system for a camera dolly resolving the abovementioned problems.